


hanabira

by natsugumi



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Gay Chigasaki Itaru, Getting Together, M/M, banri draws dicks in splatoon and that's all you need to know about this fic I think, that too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23304388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natsugumi/pseuds/natsugumi
Summary: Citron and Itaru start dating, but it takes them a while.
Relationships: Chigasaki Itaru/Citron
Comments: 9
Kudos: 121





	hanabira

**Author's Note:**

> I read over this. Once. If there's any mistakes, please let me know! Other than that, enjoy? I wrote this in a few hours because I really wanted to write Citron kissing Itaru and I'm never going to get this time back, no matter how well-spent it was.

“So, basically…I think it’d be nice if we, um. Dated.” Itaru’s hands are wrapped around his Joy-Cons, sweating more than ever. The camera in his Splatoon match is shaking; he has motion controls on. His eyes stay glued to the screen as his inkling gets splatted.

Citron is silent.

Itaru was prepared for a bad end. It wasn’t like he unlocked five hearts with Citron yet, so he didn’t expect anything to come out of this conversation whenever he would have it; he would have preferred to have it when he was dressed in something other than his same old lounge clothes, and it would be nice if it wasn’t happening at—Itaru’s gaze flickers down to his phone as it auto-plays a live—2:13 in the morning. Beggars can’t be choosers, Itaru supposes, and so he begins, “I mean, I understand if you don’t—”

“Itaru.” Citron’s voice is quiet, hoarse, and yet overpowers the sound effects coming from the TV. Itaru hears him shift in his position next to the gamer on the couch.

Itaru desperately searches for a skip button, but it seems like this is a mandatory cutscene. The blond turns to his companion.

“I would prefer if you didn’t try to play tricks on me,” Citron says. Itaru doesn’t understand the emotion in Citron’s eyes or if there’s any emotion at all.

“I’m not—”

“I think I’m done playing for the night. Sleep well, Itaru.” Citron gets up from the couch and walks out the door of room 103.

The music changes on the TV and Itaru realizes that the match went on without him. His inkling crumples to the ground. The other team got a KO.

Itaru is, to put things simply, worried about that morning’s rehearsal. He gets to sleep rather quickly after Citron leaves and sleeps in quite a bit; Chikage is in the practice room before he is even though Senpai probably got home hours after Itaru fell asleep.

When Itaru walks into the room at 6:30 in the morning, about half an hour late, the rest of Spring Troupe is in the middle of an etude. It looks like Citron and Chikage are having a fight and the kids are their fearful family that’s watching.

Izumi’s observing by the door, so she’s the first to notice Itaru come in. “Itaru-san!” With a smirk, she asks, “Were you ranking last night?”

Itaru furrows his eyebrows. “No.”

Izumi frowns. “...Is everything okay?”

The blond is maybe a little upset that the Director can see through him so clearly, but Itaru does his best to muster up a reassuring smile. “I’m fine,” he lies. “I just got a new project at work.”

“Uh-huh.” Izumi nods slowly. “Let me know if you need anything, alright? Go join the others, they were worried about you.” She pushes Itaru forward with one hand.

Itaru wonders if it was really all of them who were worried about him as he enters the scene. As he half-asses some line about ending the fight, he tries to make eye contact with Citron.

Citron won’t look at him.

“That’s my side of the story.” Itaru sighs as he finishes retelling his tale to the other two men (does Banri count as a man?) in his room.

“And that’s why you haven’t been coming to work,” Chikage confirms. “Or continued your streams.”

Itaru flinches. “Well, when you say it that way—wait, Senpai, you watch my streams?”

Chikage coughs.

“That’s why you dropped out of tier?” Banri sounds incredulous.

Itaru hums. He’s staring up at the ceiling, mostly to avoid eye contact, but Banri stands up over him anyway and looks down. 

“Must suck.”

Itaru rolls over onto his side. “Thanks for the pity, Banri.”

“Why is Banri here, again?” Chikage looks over from his side of the room, puzzled. “I thought you were going to be playing games.”

“I don’t want to touch my Animal Crossing island right now,” Itaru says sadly. “Citron was working on it together with me.”

“And that’s why I said we could play Stardew Valley instead—”

“And I’m also working on a farm with Citron. Shut up.” Itaru checks his phone. There are five new notifications; four are from various mobages about his LP being refilled, but one is a LIME from Sakuya. “Nooo.”

“What?” Banri is across the table now, putting some random cartridge into Itaru’s switch. Brat.

“Did Sakuya LIME you?” Chikage asks. “He asked me earlier if you were okay since you haven’t been performing well in rehearsal lately. Don’t make your leader worry about you.”

“I already have,” Itaru whines. He opens the notification.

**Sakuya** : Are you okay, Itaru-san? You haven’t been doing too well lately...aah, no offense! I’m just worried about you...please let me know if there’s anything I can help you and Citron-san with!

How’d he know about…?

“Senpai, did you tell Sakuya?” Itaru asks as he types up a response.

“Hm? No.”

**Itaru Chigasaki** : i’m fine. thanks, sakuya. though, uh, how’d you know about me and citron…?

Itaru puts down his phone, but it buzzes again.

**Sakuya** : We’re roommates, he told me about it…

Oh. That makes sense.

**Sakuya** : Don’t worry, Itaru-san. Citron-san isn’t trying to hurt you. I’ll talk to him about it.

**Itaru Chigasaki** : thanks sakuya. i’ll let you know if i need anything.

Itaru shuts off his phone. His face is red from embarrassment. Goodbye to his rank, he guesses; he’ll just play some more Splatoon to make up for his lost mobage hours.

“You should talk to Citron, you know,” Chikage offers. “I’m sure he has his reasons to think that you were jesting.”

“Jesting?” Itaru wrinkles his nose. “What is this, a medieval RPG? And I know, Senpai, but thanks. Oi, Banri, I wanna play Splatoon,” Itaru tries. He looks at the TV as he sits up.

Banri’s drawing penises with an Inkbrush.

Itaru reaches over and snatches the controller from the teen’s hands.

Chikage’s words echo through the gamer’s mind for the next few days. Rehearsal is a little bit better; Citron isn’t making eye contact with him, but they’re at least talking. Outside of practice, it feels like Citron leaves the room as soon as Itaru enters. By now, it’s been a week since he last visited their island in Animal Crossing.

Itaru stares at the door to room 101. If he already got a game over, there’s no way to get himself back onto Citron’s route, but he hopes that this will at least get him back to the beginning of the game.

He knocks once, twice, and then waits.

The door opens. “Itaru-san?” It’s Sakuya. He’s dressed in his pajamas—understandable, it’s eleven at night—and his hair is ruffled, probably from being in bed.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Itaru’s expression softens and he pats the teen’s head, smiling as Sakuya grins.

“No, I couldn’t sleep. Are you here for Citron?” Itaru nods. “I’ll go get him,” Sakuya says as he disappears behind the door.

There’s a conversation inside that Itaru can’t discern the sides of, but then there’s silence and Citron comes emerging from his room. “Itaru,” he acknowledges.

“Citron,” Itaru replies. “Look, I—”

“Do we have to have this conversation here?” Citron frowns and closes the door behind him.

Itaru blinks. “N-no. Uh, we could go to my room? I think Chikage’s at a work thing right now…” He trails off, eyes fixated on the ground.

Citron hums. “Okay.”

They walk back to room 103. It’s messy, as usual; Itaru wasn’t expecting a guest. Citron sits down as Itaru boots up the TV to some random anime channel. He lowers the volume and then sits on the opposite side of the couch from Citron.

“So, um—”

“I’m sorry,” Citron interrupts. “You...you were serious, weren’t you?”

Itaru nods and swallows back a cough. “Yeah.”

“I’ve never dated a man before,” Citron admits. “I was courted by one a few years back. He seemed nice, but Zahra isn’t as kind.” Citron chuckles and Itaru physically feels pain. “You’re...into men?”

Itaru laughs. “I don’t think we’d be here if I wasn’t.”

“Right, right.” Citron coughs.

“Citron, um,” Itaru begins, “it’s fine if you—if you don’t like me, but—”

“Itaru, can you look at me?” Citron slides next to Itaru, and he has no choice but to turn to the prince. His hair is out of its usual ponytail. Itaru thinks he might pass out from how beautiful he looks. “I like you, Itaru. I like you a lot.”

“What?”

“Can we kiss?” Citron is a lot closer than Itaru last remembered. He licks his lips, eyes half shut, and Itaru is dying.

“Um—Yes? Yeah, yeah we can,” Itaru says, and he leans forward.

Itaru feels like the bad heroine of a dating sim. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but Citron’s tongue tastes like sweet matcha powder with a hint of Doritos. His lips are soft and moist, probably from all of the saliva Itaru’s slobbering onto them, and Itaru realizes that Citron is really,  _ really _ good at kissing. Like, frighteningly good.

He feels Citron get up and whines into his mouth—wow, how more pathetic could he get—but then. Oh. Citron’s straddling him. If the fanfiction-esque fireworks inside of his brain weren’t already set off, then they were now. Itaru wraps his arms around Citron’s neck, trying to see if they could get any closer than they already were. Citron holds Itaru’s face in turn, and the latter feels tears on the brink of falling. It’s so good. He’s so good.

Then somebody clears their throat behind them, and as Citron pulls away, Chikage says, “I would enjoy a warning beforehand if you’re going to have people over.”

Itaru jumps. “S-senpai,” he responds. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

The older man sighs. “Congratulations. I’ll be in Sakuya’s room then. Please don’t soil anything on my side of the room.” 

He leaves. Itaru is considering dying.

“Itaru,” Citron calls. Itaru looks back at his...partner? “Do you still like me?”

Is that even a question? “Yes? Of course? Why else would I be.” Itaru gestures frantically. “This.”

Citron smiles. “I just wanted to make sure.” He scratches the back of his neck. “Then...could you ask me out again? I want to give you a proper response this time.”

Itaru is sure that his cheeks are red, and he can’t really feel his face right now but he might honestly be crying. He responds, “Of course. Citron, will you go out with me?"

(He says yes.)

**Author's Note:**

> and that's it! This is kind of a test for a longer fic that I've been thinking about writing, though IDK the details yet. Sorry if Citron seems OOC, i just. Really hate the whole "haha citron is bad at Japanese! This is funny" thing so. I didn't write it in this one. Hope you liked it!
> 
> twt: citoita >:) lol


End file.
